20 Reasons Why Road America Is the Best Place in North America to Watch Motorsports

Road America rocks.

By
Kevin McCauley

Jul 26, 2016

I spent the weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for the Weathertech International Challenge With Brian Redman Presented By Hawk. The title is a lengthy way of saying historic racing, with this year's event celebrating Can-Am cars on the 50th anniversary of the inaugural season.

I had heard for over and over for years that Road America was a must-visit circuit, but it's taken me a while to make it over to the middle of Wisconsin to find out why. Now that I've been, I feel compelled to share why you need to visit Elkhart Lake, too.

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Massive

Road America sits on 640+ acres in central Wisconsin. The track itself is 4.048 miles long, and includes all of the hallmarks of a great road course: multiple straightaways, fast sweepers, tight bends and complex multi-apex sequences. Be prepared to walk, sure, but an ingenious network of bridges and tunnels (I counted at least eight!) around the venue mean that no part of the track is truly that far away if you take those shortcuts.

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Beautiful

Modern racetracks can accurately be described as a sea of asphalt with miles of tall catch-fencing. Road America seems almost like the builders made a road through a National Park, put up a few barriers and bridges, and went racing. There are trees everywhere, rolling hills, and the picturesque Elkhart Lake is just down the road.

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Historic

Road America is one of the few major racetracks to retain its original configuration, dating back to 1955, which means they got something right from the very beginning. You can't see racing on the old Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the banked Monza course, or even Laguna Seca's original layout, buy you can relive Road America just as it was when Can-Am roared through these same fourteen corners in the sixties.

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High perspectives

There are tons of natural hills and elevated vantage points that offer fans totally unique perspectives to watch the action happening below. Shooting vintage Trans-Am cars through a hillside full of wildflowers is something I'll never forget.

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Low Perspectives

There's a viewing spot on the outside of Turn 7—unglamorously between a port-a-potty and a trash can, where you stand eye level with the track surface and can look straight through the apex. From there you can watch the cars turn-in, roll slightly, change direction and maybe even induce some slip from the rear as they make their way around. You're low enough to see daylight under the race cars and close enough to hear the tires. You can see the suspension at work, and pick out which drivers are committed, and who's using the curbs. The best part is that like most of the great spots at Road America, you don't need special accreditation to see this, it's open to everyone.

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Drivers love it

From Can-Am to ChampCar to IMSA, professional racers frequently cite Road America as their favorite circuit on every calendar. There's not any evidence that happier drivers put on a better show, but it's nice to know that the event you came out to see might be just as much of a highlight of their season as it is in yours.

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Fast

One reason drivers love this track is because it's extremely fast. Dario Franchitti set the 1:39.8 second lap record in a ChampCar in 2000 — that's a blistering 145.73 mph average speed over the lap. I couldn't find another road course in North American track with a higher average speed, and the only faster track internationally that I came across was Monza, at 160 mph.

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Tons of infield

Spectating from the infield of a track is simply better: fewer high catch-fences to block your view, and its quicker to get around and watch from different vantage points. Modern racetracks seem to be built to keep the fans outside and make them walk the longest way around. Road America is not one of those tracks.

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Surprising

As a fan, it's great to visit a track where you can see the most of the circuit from one vantage point. But it's more rewarding to be at a track where you don't know what's around the next bend, and where you walk from section to section and it feels like you're entering different ecosystems. There can also be a few surprises around the paddock, like this Super GT Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R GT500 racer.

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Car-friendly

If you need a break from walking, you can pretty much use your car as a golf cart, and simply drive to where you want to go and park at any of the corners, as long as you keep clear of the paddock.

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Camping encouraged

Fans can camp in several places in the infield of the course, with access to shower facilities. With the carousel corner just a few hundred feet from the main campground, you're guaranteed not to need to set an alarm in the morning.

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Canada Corner

People love to talk about the Kink, but my favorite is Canada Corner. The Kink is certainly dramatic on an in-car lap, but I wasn't able to find a great angle for viewing — locals and regulars are welcome to set me straight on this. Canada Corner is a tight bend at the end of a long straight section, with amazing viewing angles. It's a great spot for overtakes and challenging for the drivers, who must negotiate a slight left turn under heavy braking, before making the sharp right turn through the apex.

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Thunder Valley

Out of Canada Corner, drivers open the throttle to blast through a section called Thunder Valley, named for the way the engine sounds reverberate against the forest and signage. It's a spectacular way to get close to the cars as they launch out of the corner under full acceleration. Both this section and Canada Corner are on the a shaded, heavily-wooded path that provides a welcome relief from the mid-day sun.

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Road America Straight

Even the main straight at Road America is uniquely challenging. Drivers approach the start/finish line and flag-stand blind, and must crest a steep uphill section before it comes into view.

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Peaceful

Parts of Road America near Kettle Bottoms and the kink feel like nature trails, and the walk along the Moraine Sweep between turns 4 and 5 (pictured) feels like you're in a secluded forest.

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There are so many places to watch from

You may have your own favorite spots to watch. With 14 corners, and access to the inside and outside of most of them, there is a ton of variety

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The fans are diehard enthusiasts

The parking areas are filled with not just 'nice' cars, but obscure, rare, fantastic vehicles of all shapes and sizes. The close proximity to Chicago (about a two and a half hour drive) and active local enthusiast community puts on a gathering of cars that rivals anywhere else in the States. This Citroën SM was parked in the grass next behind Turn 1.

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Changing weather

Summer in Wisconsin seems to be refreshingly mild and rapidly changing. Clear skies give way to fast moving clouds, haze, and summer showers, before clearing again in the same afternoon. The changing track conditions keep drivers focused, and can swing the advantage from one car to another during races.

I try to avoid reminiscing about the "good old days" that I never actually experienced, but I love watching the cars decades ago and I think Road America delivers an overall experience that seems true to the era.

It's easy to be cynical about modern race tracks, where you stand a minimum of 250 feet from the track, standing under the beating sun and holding a $10 beer and $12 hot dog. Road America is nothing like that. It's a place run by racing fans, for racing fans, and if you fall into that category, then you need to make the trip.

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